Star Wars: The Trials of the Force (Part One)

by Admiral Producer

Chapter 10: Coruscant - The Battle of Coruscant Begins/Young Jedi Bonding

Two weeks passed since Silverstream had gotten the news that she would be knighted. She was extremely ecstatic, going ahead to tell everyone she could about the news. Most of the Padawans got angry at her for her bragging, the Masters congratulated her, and the younglings didn’t care either way. Eventually, Anakin had to lecture her about how the mark of a true hero was humility or something. She knew that, she was just so happy. Katooni and her friends made a habit of training Silver every day for the ceremony, so that she would be ready.

Unfortunately, on the day that Silverstream was scheduled to be knighted by the Council, disaster struck. For Coruscant was about to be struck by a surprise attack by the Separatist Alliance, also known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Clone Wars had been raging for years and while Silverstream was largely unaffected by the war and largely didn’t care as she was mostly staying out of most of the action that Anakin and Obi Wan went on, she was about to be caught right in the thick of it.

It all began inside the Jedi Temple, where Katooni and Petro were getting Silverstream ready for the ceremony. Anakin was on the planet of Yerbana with Obi Wan fighting off a Separatist attack, so Master Yoda had agreed to preside over Silver’s final lesson, which she passed with flying colors.

In her room, Silverstream was getting her Jedi robes fitted. Katooni looked Silverstream over several times, inspecting the robes and making sure they were on right while giving her tips with Petro chiming in every now and then. However, most of the time, they didn’t agree with each other’s tips.

“You need to look confident,” Katooni instructed her, “Look smart, strong, proud!”

Silverstream nodded. She folded her wings, raised her head up high, and thought of how proud Anakin would be once he got back and she was a full on Jedi Knight.

“There’s the smile we’re looking for!” Petro exclaimed, “You walk in like that and even Master Yoda will be scared. I mean, you gotta show off if you want to make the best impression possible!”

“I wouldn’t say ‘show off,’” Katooni countered, “Just look as confident as you can be. Showing off can also result in a negative impression. I don’t want you to be considered a showoff.”

“Aye aye, captains!” Silverstream affirmed, but as she registered the conflicting tips, she got confused, “Wait, what?”

Katooni facepalmed. This wasn’t working at all, and it was almost time for the ceremony to begin. “Petro, you’re confusing her!” she told him sternly.

Petro shrugged, “Well, I’m trying!”

Katooni shook her head, “Just…listen to me, okay? You got this. Just do what you were doing before. Get that confident air on you as you did a few minutes ago. Walk in there and be ready. It’s the most important day of your life.”

Silverstream nodded again, “I won’t let you down!”

“There we go,” Katooni said proudly, “This is your big moment, get out there and shine!”

As Silverstream was about to walk out the door, the ground beneath her began to rumble slightly. Then, it increased to the point where it looked like the Temple was having an earthquake. Silverstream stepped back, fear beginning to overcome her in that moment. ‘Not another world destruction incident!’ She thought with dread.

Petro ran to the window and pointed outside, “Guys, look!” Katooni and Silverstream came to the window to see a massive starship fall from the sky and crash into one of the buildings close to the Jedi Temple. That was no doubt a Republic ship, meaning only one thing.

A battle was happening above Coruscant.

Katooni’s look of absolute horror said it all. She was scared and Silver didn’t blame her. Now the ceremony was probably cancelled and they had no idea how early the battle had begun. More ships began falling and were instantly supplied by clone commanders and Jedi generals supplying aid with their own ships in order to help the Republic navy in repelling the attack. Silver could make out vague outlines of the battle happening above the planet through the thin veil of atmosphere.

“We should help them!” Petro cried in alarm. He ran to the door of their room and opened it, only to be stopped by Mace Windu, who was standing in front of the door, blocking their exit.

“Master Windu!” Katooni exclaimed. Mace Windu regarded them with a stern expression, but an expression full of worry for their safety. He would not see them get hurt.

“I advise the three of you to stay where you are,” Mace Windu advised them, “Coruscant is under attack. General Grievous is leading them.”

“We want to help you, Master!” Petro pleaded, “We want to do something useful for once!! We stopped Grievous once, we can do it again!” Again, the Temple shook violently, the tremors being felt all throughout the vicinity. Mace looked away briefly. There was not much time. He had to keep the Separatist forces away from the Temple at all costs.

“You will not jeopardize your safety again,” Mace told them firmly, “One time was bad enough. You three will stay in that room until we have cleared out Grievous and the droids, understood?”

“But Master-“ Petro began. Katooni put her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. He glared at her, the rage present on every inch of his face. Petro loved glory, and the excitement of being on the battlefield. That was his thing. But there was no way any of them could last even a single minute in that assault, and all three of them knew it.

Silverstream nodded obediently, “Yes, Master.” Normally, she would’ve argued in Petro’s defense, but she could see where Mace was coming from. It was not from a place of malice. He wanted to protect them, to keep them safe. She wasn’t overly fond of Mace due to him outright calling her a liar 6 months ago, but she respected him nonetheless. It was in their best interests that they stayed put.

Mace Windu looked at her in the eyes for a moment, almost as a gesture of respect or gratitude. Then, the authoritative look came back and he declared, “It will take some time. But with the help of the Grand Army, we can keep them at bay.” With that, he ignited his lightsaber and ran out through the hallway without a second look.

Silverstream closed the door. “May the Force Be With You, Master Windu…” she whispered softly.

The room shook once more and outside, the trio could see the results of the ongoing attack. Clone armies faced off against battle droids, Windu and Master Yoda aiding in the ground attack. They were like fierce warriors fighting off an army of dragons, their sheer strength and agility aiding in the slaying of each attacking opponent. A flash of purple and green and three droids were down. A lone Naboo freighter crashed into one of the buildings in the main Galactic City, causing a severe ripple effect of damage. The result was three buildings completely totaled, the freighter being lost in the ongoing collision.

Katooni closed the curtains. “I don’t want to look at this anymore. It makes me worried.”

“You don’t want to?” Petro questioned her, “We should go out there and help fight! We are not weaklings!! You threw away a valuable opportunity!!”

“What opportunity, Petro?!” Katooni asked him, “To get ourselves killed out there?!” She sighed, “Petro, I know you think you can handle anything after we rescued Ahsoka all those years ago. But you’re not infallible. I’m not. Silverstream’s not. None of us are.”

“You’re a coward!” Petro accused her, “Both you and Silverstream! We had the opportunity to show Master Windu that we’re capable fighters and you both blew it!!”

“How could we have convinced him?!” Silverstream butted in. She knew where this was going, yet she still felt the need to defend Katooni’s position, “You know that we wouldn’t last a single minute out there. I love the thrill of adventure too, but Master Windu wanted to keep us safe.”

“No!” Petro argued, “He wants to keep us weak! He flat out tried to imply that you were lying to the Council about your memory problem, don’t you remember?!”

“That was a misunderstanding, Petro,” Katooni replied, “You don’t understand. There is some things only the Masters can do. Out there, it’s practically a massacre! You want to go out and try to fight that?! Risk getting captured by General Grievous?! The last thing the Order needs is to convince the Republic to mount a rescue mission. Master Windu wants to keep us safe, so that we don’t do anything reckless, a foreign concept to you, I guess!”

Petro scoffed, “Nice excuse, Miss. Weakling. You know there’s a reason why you were never apprenticed to Master Skywalker. Silverstream took your spot because at least she has courage.” This caught Katooni off guard. She looked down in sadness, and Petro capitalized on it, “You two are both weaklings who are too afraid to stand up for yourselves. You didn’t even want to rescue Ahsoka at first because you were afraid that Master Kenobi would get upset!”

“No, I didn’t-“ Katooni began to say.

“Silverstream, you wimped out like the chicken you are when your integrity was questioned,” Petro continued, cutting her off, “Why didn’t you stand up for yourself, hm?! Is it because you thought they’d be mad at you? Is that it?! At least I don’t let people walk all over me.”

Silverstream kept her cool, trying not to let Petro’s words get to her. But all the while she shook with pent-up rage as Petro went after Katooni again. The poor girl was trying to hold back tears, and Silver was moments away from acting on her instincts and flooring Petro right then and there.

“Petro, stop!” Katooni pleaded, “Why are you being so mean all of a sudden? Just because you want to fight and prove something to yourself?!” Her voice was close to breaking.

Petro growled and shouted, “Prove something?! I actually want to help out the Jedi and the Republic unlike you! I am absolutely tired of you!!!” He raised his arm to hit Katooni, who saw this and backed away in fear.

That was when Silverstream snapped.

Using the Force, she picked Petro up and flung him across the room. He hit his head on the door just as the Temple faced another violent shake from the chaos above. He said nothing, only glaring at both of them. The situation had gotten out of hand.

Silverstream quickly came over to Katooni, helping her up. Katooni looked distraught, tears flowing down her face and little sobs coming out. Silver held her close and hugged her as Gallus once did for her back in the caves beneath the School of Friendship. Petro saw this and felt bad. He knew instantly that he had gone too far.

He came over to both of them, “Hey, I’m sorry for almost hitting you. That was too far. I’m really sorry.”

Silverstream wasn’t in the mood to forgive him. Not in the slightest. Looking at him with absolute hatred, she let him have it. “You’re not sorry!! You made her cry! What did she ever do to you, Petro?! She was trying to reason with you, and you almost punch her in the face! Novo be damned I don’t Force-throw you again!!”

Katooni sat up, wiping her tears. “That really hurt, Petro…I don’t know what’s gotten into you…”

Petro sighed. Nothing he said would be good enough to really apologize for his actions. The best thing to do was to leave them alone. As he walked away, Katooni requested to be left one as well. Silverstream let her sit by the window. She felt horrible that she hadn’t intervened when it happened. It had all just happened so fast.

As Petro sat near the doors of the room, Silverstream flopped onto the bottom bed, desperately searching for something, anything to distract herself. Looking underneath one of the pillows, she found a small thin brown book titled: MY JOURNAL. It was a simple title and it was obviously in Katooni’s handwriting. She felt a pang of guilt for looking into someone else’s diary, but she didn’t have anything else to do and Katooni wasn’t looking at her. A slight peek wouldn’t help, right?

She opened the diary and flipped through several pages, coming across one entry that peaked her interest. It was an entry written only a couple days ago that made tears come to her eyes.

Dear Diary,

Silverstream is going to be knighted by the Council soon! I am so excited for her and I really think she deserves it. She’s changed the lives of everyone she’s met for the better, including me. I’m still worried about her memory problem. I’m not sure what caused it, but she seems to be adjusting well. I know I originally thought I’d be apprenticed to Master Skywalker, but if given the chance…I hope I become Silverstream’s Padawan. I know it’s crazy, we’re already close friends, but I don’t know why. I just really want to learn what she’s learned, and we’d be able to hang out a lot more, so that’s always a plus.

I don’t have many besides my friends who really care about me. After Ahsoka left, things just haven’t been the same. But real or fabricated, I can tell that Silverstream really cares about everyone she knows and loves. She can be impulsive sometimes, but that’s part of the reason why I value her as practically a sister. She understands me, and I understand her. We’re both weird and we both care about each other. A Master and Padawan relationship would only be a step up. But I understand if she’s not ready yet. It’s her choice and I’ll be happy for whoever she chooses regardless.

Sincerely,
Katooni

Silverstream gasped softly. She blinked back tears, now understanding the extent of how much Katooni cared about her. She already valued Katooni as a close friend and vice versa, but according to the false memories everyone had of her, they had grown up together and were practically sisters. Silverstream was the closest Katooni had to a family. She wanted someone to love her as there were very few Jedi who acknowledged her existence except for during training. She still had not been apprenticed to anyone yet while Silverstream had. With this realization, Silver decided to talk to Katooni about it. But as she was about to get up, a voice interrupted her:

“Are you looking through Katooni’s diary?”

Silverstream turned and right next to her was Petro, sitting next to her and bore an expression of concern and regret. Resisting the urge to chew him out again, Silverstream faced him, “You hurt her, you know? She was trying to reason with you. Why did you try to punch her like that?”

Petro sighed, “I saw you…hug Katooni there and I felt bad…I shouldn’t’ve done that. You’re right.”

“Go apologize to her,” Silverstream instructed him, “She’ll want to hear it from you, not me.”

“You had the right call,” Petro said, “throwing me across the room. I could’ve done something much worse if you hadn’t stepped in. I don’t understand why…something just…came over me. I would never hit Katooni like that no matter how upset I might be. Yet I was so close to doing just that. What’s gotten into me?”

“She’ll forgive you,” Silverstream assured her, “On…my world, I learned that friendship is the most powerful magic of all…I attended a school specifically for that. They had some great lessons. And because of that…I don’t want to stay mad at you. I shouldn’t. But Katooni needs to hear an apology from you…and I’m not sure how to tell her.”

“Tell her that you looked through her diary?” Petro asked.

“That, and…” Silverstream tailed off, regaining her words after a few seconds, “…the fact that she wants to be my Padawan. I don’t think I’m ready for something like that. I know she loves me very much, but…I don’t think I immediately qualify to choose a Padawan just because I get knighted, do I?”

Petro shrugged, “It happened with Master Skywalker and Ahsoka. His knighting wasn’t that long ago before she was assigned to him.”

“But that’s the thing, she was assigned,” Silverstream replied, “Anakin didn’t choose her. He only accepted her. Katooni thinks I’ll get to choose…”

“I honestly have no idea how the process even works,” Petro admitted, “So I can’t help you. I know Gadoni and Zatt already have knowledge about who their Masters are going to be. They didn’t pick. I doubt any of their Masters picked. I’m not worried about myself because Master Yoda told me a couple days back that I might get assigned to someone in a couple days, so…Just tell her in the best way you can.”

“But what if she doesn’t understand?” Silverstream was beginning to feel worried all over again, “What if she thinks that I don’t want her? All she’s ever wanted is for someone to love and care for her. Jedi are taken at infancy. She never knew her parents. She’s never had a family. All she’s had is you guys…and me. I just don’t want to let her down like that.”

“So what do you want to do?” Petro inquired.

“I was…” Silverstream took a deep breath, “I was thinking of asking the Council if I could choose my Padawan. I don’t know if it’ll work or if I’ll even qualify right away, but…at least then I can tell her that I tried.”

Petro nodded slowly, “I think that would be the best thing you can do for her. You two are practically sisters. Heck, she’s closer with you than she is with me and the others. I don’t know why, but she’s always had that special connection with you.”

“It’s like the Force meant for us to be together…” Silverstream realized, “…But why?”

That question was ingrained in her mind for the rest of the day. As the battle raged outside, the bond of the three grew closer. Later on, Petro apologized to Katooni, who forgave him instantly after having been given hours to think about what happened. Silverstream decided not to tell her about reading her diary just yet as it just seemed like a weird kind of conversation to have. Also, there was the huge probability of Katooni getting upset over having her privacy invaded, and Silverstream wasn’t ready to deal with that situation just yet.

The Battle of Coruscant went on for an extra day, and then another. Reinforcements from all across the galaxy known as the Open Circle Fleet soon arrived to engage the CIS fleet and were able to help the Republic navy battle the Separatist forces. The casualties on the surface soon became apparent. The Jedi had made it their main goal to protect both the Chancellor and the Jedi Temple, specifically with Silverstream and the younglings inside. They could not afford for the Temple to be destroyed at any cost.

General Shaak Ti was sent to protect Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and to prevent Separatist forces from taking him. However, that plan was eventually foiled and word came out that the Chancellor had been abducted by General Grievous. Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi, upon receiving the news, promptly returned to Coruscant after meeting with Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan in regards to the upcoming attack on Mandalore, an assault which Ahsoka and Clone Trooper Commander Rex would be leading. While Anakin and Kenobi raced to the Separatist flagship The Invisible Hand to rescue Palpatine, Republic forces were succeeding in driving the Separatist forces back.

That night in the Jedi Temple dorms, Silverstream finally decided to talk to Katooni about what she had learned. She knew she was risking Katooni’s anger out on having her diary read, but she decided to risk it anyway. The realization had haunted Silver for too long for her to continue to keep it to herself.

Petro was already fast asleep on the top bed, and Katooni was preparing to climb into the bottom one when Silverstream decided to talk to her.

“Hey, Katooni?” Silverstream asked, “I want to talk to you…if that’s okay. Something’s been bothering me.”

Katooni nodded, “Oh, okay. We can talk on the bed if you want.” The two of them sat at the edge of the bed, not looking at each other for a full minute until Silverstream broke the silence:

“You don’t think anybody loves you?” Silverstream asked her.

Katooni looked surprised. “What do you mean?”

Silverstream sighed deeply. This was going to be hard. “Katooni…I found your diary underneath a pillow…I ended up reading one of your recent entries and-“

“You read my journal?!” Katooni’s voice had a hint of anger in it, and Silverstream didn’t blame her in the slightest, “Did your Friendship School teach you nothing?! That’s private stuff.”

“Katooni, listen…” Silverstream tried to explain the best she could, “I’m sorry for doing that. I was feeling a little down because you were so sad after Petro almost hit you…I needed something to distract myself and I found that. I read through one of your recent entries and…you want to be my Padawan?”

Katooni looked down in shame. Silverstream put a claw on her shoulder, and she looked at her in the eyes. The moment she did, Silverstream’s heart broke. It was a look of sadness, a look of pain. It was a look that an abused child would have upon meeting someone who treated them nicely for the first time in their life. It was a look of desperation to grab onto the slightest kind word and not let go. Katooni’s next word only confirmed Silverstream’s suspicions.

“Yes…”

“Katooni-“ Silverstream began to say, but Katooni cut her off.

“No no no, it’s okay,” Katooni said quickly, “You don’t have to. I was just…I don’t know. Wishful thinking, I guess. I mean, obviously you probably won’t qualify right away, and it’s probably not your choice. I don’t know what I was thinking writing that. Can we just pretend you never read that?”

“Katooni,” Silverstream told her gently, “It’s okay. You don’t have to hide your feelings from me. We’re like sisters, aren’t we?”

It was then that Silverstream could see that Katooni was beginning to cry again. She wiped her tears hurriedly, “I just…thought it would be a good idea. I mean, we’re so close, and…we’d be able to hang out more often and…” She shook her head, “You probably don’t want to hear me talk about my life.”

“No, I get it,” Silverstream replied, “You never knew your real family. You just want someone to love you and be proud of you, don’t you?”

Sniffling, Katooni nodded, “I dream of them sometimes, Silverstream…I don’t know if it’s a…memory or just a fabrication. But I see their faces, looking upon me, holding me in their arms. Then I wake up, and…I realize it’s just a dream…that no one really acknowledges or cares about me except for when it’s convenient for them. Everything’s about our destiny as the future of the Jedi Order. Aside from my friends, or Professor Huyang…I never got to be myself…Even with my friends, I’m afraid of showing too much vulnerability…But you’re different than that. You never judged me for who I was. I could be myself with you…”

Silverstream absorbed every word and she felt increasingly bad for Katooni. She hated herself for not remembering the memories of them together, even if they were false. If only the Force gave her the memories of both of her lives when she was sent to save Anakin. There had to be something she could do.

“Katooni,” Silverstream said, “I’m sorry you feel so alone. And I hate the fact that I can’t remember my life here. If the Force could only give me the memories of both of my lives…I feel like I should know what we have done together. But I don’t. And I feel like I’m letting you down.”

“It’s alright,” Katooni assured her, “Frankly…I just want to see you become a proud Jedi Knight like Master Skywalker trained you for. I don’t need anyone to love me, as much as I would like it. Attachments are forbidden. All I want is to see you succeed, Silverstream.”

“But I want to help you too!” Silverstream threw her claws up in frustration, “Ugh! Why can’t I have both?! Why can’t I save Anakin and make you feel loved at the same time?! It’s not fair!”

Katooni smiled at her sadly, “We can’t have it both ways, Silverstream. As much as I would love to be your Padawan, it’s not my choice. You can’t choose either, and the sooner I accept that, the better off we’ll both be. You’re going to get out there and be a shining beacon of the Jedi and show Master Skywalker that not all Padawans end up leaving. Some grow up to be great successes and make their Masters proud. You’re one of them, Silverstream. You have a destiny and you have to face it.”

“But I want to help you too!” Silverstream repeated. She felt tears come to her own eyes as well, “Katooni, you never asked for any of this. You never asked to be taken from your home, you never asked for my memory problem, you never asked for everyone to ignore you…all you want is for someone to love you. Why can’t I give you the happiness you deserve?”

“Because the Force has other plans for you,” Katooni comforted her, “I’m already happy. You actually care about me and how I feel. The way you stood up for me when Petro almost hit me…no one has ever done that for me before. I was in shock, so I forgot to thank you, but I’m grateful for what you did…I’m already happy knowing that you’re there for me. That’s all that I need. I don’t need anything else. I already have you and Petro, as well as the others. I graduated from the youngling trials, and I’ll be apprenticed to someone eventually. You have your entire future here in front of you. Don’t let me drag you down. That’ll be the last thing that I want. You can give me happiness by succeeding in your quest.”

Silverstream swallowed back fresh tears. She still planned to ask the Council, but she didn’t want to tell Katooni yet just in case it didn’t work out, “Thanks…I’m sorry I read your diary. I should’ve left it alone.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Katooni assured her, “Honestly, I needed to talk about this, really…It really helps. Just the two of us talking about stuff at night. We should do it more often.”

Silverstream got up, “I’m happy to do that too. So, I’ll sleep on the floor. You can have your space.”

Katooni shook her head, “No way. You’re not sleeping on the floor. We’re sleeping together again. There’s plenty of room for the both of us.”

Silverstream didn’t argue. Climbing into bed with Katooni and pulling the covers up, they both eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Author's Note:

Oh wow! This has got to be the longest chapter I’ve ever written! I know I probably said that last time, but I’ve surpassed the record now! This chapter was heavy on the feels too. I really wanted to take a dig at the fact that Jedi took Force-sensitive children when they were just born. For all their virtue and light side teaching, that’s an act that can otherwise be translated in our society as kidnapping, not to mention cult-like behavior. Maybe George Lucas and Lucasfilms didn’t intend this, but it can certainly rub casual viewers the wrong way.

Exploring how this could’ve affected Katooni’s mental and emotional state in the latter half of this chapter was a little difficult, but I think I’m at least proficient at writing emotional character moments, even if I do tend to overuse them sometimes. Get ready for the next chapter as next time we’re skipping some of the events of Revenge of the Sith in order to go towards a pivotal moment of where Silverstream will have to make the ultimate choice in order to save Anakin. Will she succeed? Stay tuned! Act 1 is wrapping up soon!

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[Admiral Producer]

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